Published study finds social media souring marriages

Findings from a series of studies performed by a group of researchers including Emerging Media Studies professor James Katz show a correlation between heavy social media use and marriage dissatisfaction.

Using data from surveys conducted in 2008 to 2010, the researchers found that a 20 percent increase in Facebook users by state would increase divorce rates by 2.18 percent. It should be stressed that the findings shouldn't be taken as a causal factor, but it could be a "significant predictor of divorce rates."

Additionally, a 2011 University of Texas at Austin study found that 11.4 percent of "non-social" network users were happier with their relationships than those with heavier social media usage. These findings and research are examples of the sort of research undergoing at the Center for Mobile Communications Studies.